


Colliding Stars

by bookberry005



Category: Keeper of the Lost Cities Series - Shannon Messenger
Genre: Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:20:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29942313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookberry005/pseuds/bookberry005
Summary: After a fight that causes everything to go off the rails, singer and lead guitarist Keefe Sencen from the band Black Swan suddenly quits the band and music. It's a shock to the entertainment world, and an even greater shock when he comes back into the spotlight two years later following his mother's original plan for him as an actor and absolutely smashing the industry with a skill people haven't seen in a long time.Exillium is a band full of rejects, suddenly swept up in fame after inspiring people with their message and amazing music. After they start opening for the popular band Neverseen and the news of their first album starts circulating, they only get thrust further into the spotlight. One thing leads to another, and Exillium and Black Swan are rivals forced to work with each other.How well this ends is anyone's guess.(just wanted to say idk the next time i'll update this fic because i currently have sk8 the infinity brainrot and can only write sk8 stuff so i'm sorry)
Relationships: Keefe Sencen/Tam Song, Marella Redek/Linh Song, Stina Heks/Maruca
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

Jensi burst into the room, a magazine held high above their head.

"THIS MONTH'S CHARTS ARE OUT!," they yelled, way louder than necessary.

All the members of Exillium were immediately on their feet, rushing over to Jensi and nearly tackling them for the magazine.

Tam snatched it out of Jensi's hand, flipping to the pages where he knew their band would be. He could barely contain his excitement. Their current job was opening for the popular rock band Neverseen while they were in town, which made Exillium's popularity skyrocket. On top of that, more people were interested ever since the members of the band had come out and shared their mission.

Plus people thought their music was amazing, and what's not to like about that?

Jensi pointed at the page and shouted, "Number fifteen on the pop charts! Not bad, not bad"

Stina snorted, flipping her curly, brown hair over her shoulder. "Not bad? We're fucking awesome. We weren't even on here the last couple months"

Stina held her hand up, and Jensi gave her a high five, jumping up and nearly knocking Stina back as they did so. Everyone laughed.

"And we're close to top twenty on the rock charts and projected to reach that by next month," Lihn noted. "At least, that's what Elwin thinks"

As if summoned, Elwin, the band's manager, doctor, and in general responsible adult, came bursting through the door. His dark brown hair was a huge mess, and his glasses were skewed. One of his signature coats with some sort of rainbow mythical creature was still rumpled as if he'd slept in it. If Tam had to guess, Elwin probably had. He carried several groceries bags, which he dumped on the counter unceremoniously. Tam threw the magazine at Jensi's face and then went to organize the groceries.

"Hey who didn't wash their fucking dishes last night?," Tam asked, looking over at the pile of dirty dishes in the sink. Was he the only one who took care of this apartment?

Everyone raised their hands. Tam sighed and shot them all half hearted death glares.

Elwin ignored them and sat down on the couch.

"You know," Maruca said, pulling her braids up into a ponytail. "You could ask before entering our apartment"

"What's the fun in that?," Elwin replied. "Anyway, I'm not just here to hang out. I'm here to talk business"

Tam jumped up on the counter, ignoring the half unpacked grocery bags, and turned around so he was sitting on the table facing Elwin. Music talk was much more interesting than unpacking groceries. Lihn and Marella sat down at the table, Jensi on the couch by Elwin, and Stina and Maruca sat on the floor.

"How's the album coming?," Elwin asked.

"The WHAT?!," everyone exclaimed. Fear shot through Tam. When were they supposed to start writing an album? When was this news given to them? What was happening? He'd been thinking of album concepts, and at least one of the notebooks or paper stacks in his room filled with random lyrics and notes was just that. But they were supposed to actually be working on an album?

Elwin laughed. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. There's no album you were supposed to be writing"

The band let out collective sigh of relief.

"But, we do need to think about what you want to do after your last show opening for Neverseen," Elwin said.

Stina pointed at Tam. "This guy's written a lot of stuff the last few weeks. I'm sure if we workshop it together, we could throw together an album in a couple months"

Tam shrugged. "I did have thoughts for a story we could convey in an album too. It's our debut album, so what if we did something about our rise to fame or how we found each other?"

Lihn nodded and smiled. "That's an amazing idea! We could each have a song like for us, by us. So like, Tam would write a song about his story, Jensi one about theirs, and so on"

Marella gave a small smile. "And of course we help each other with them-"

"-so it's like our story-," Maruca added.

"-and then we finish with a couple songs about all of us and how we became a team!," Jensi exclaimed.

Tam thought for a second, resting his chin in his hand. "Of course, we'd have to make the songs in a way where it's about us but not obvious. So that other people can relate too. And so that it's not like...weird. Sharing our life stories or some shit"

Stina rolled her eyes. "Obviously"

Elwin clapped his hands together. "That sounds like a great idea. But first, I want you guys to drop a couple new singles. Just to get the ball rolling a bit"

Maruca shrugged. "We already have a lot of music we haven't played or recorded yet that could be ready in a couple days"

"Yeah we've just gotta record and we'll be all set," Marella added. "Also did y'all hear about the drama with Black Swan?"

Tam rolled his eyes. Marella was a industry drama addict. It's amazing she hadn't started a gossip magazine yet.

Stina, Jensi, and Maruca frowned. Tam knew they'd all been friends with members of Black Swan back in the day. But two years ago, some huge fight happened that ended in Stina, Jensi, Marella, and Maruca all cast aside. Keefe Sencen, lead guitarist of the band, also left Black Swan after the fight and hadn't been in the news for about two years. Black Swan was making a comeback recently, but Tam hadn't heard much definitive news on them. Besides, they were all fifteen, sixteen years old then. They were adults now with jobs. Surely high school drama could be left in the past.

But apparently it couldn't, given that Black Swan was coming back and that band practically made a living off of drama.

"What is it this time?," Stina snapped. "I bet it's some sort of relationship thing"

"Actually," Marella said, "their drummer, Dex Dizznee, came out as nonbinary without being given the all clear, and now the band is under fire"

"Oh let me guess what happens next!," Jensi said, sarcasm coating their voice. "Sophie and Fitz started dating!"

"Again," everyone else adds in exasperation.

Tam rolled his eyes. It seemed like the Sophie Foster and Fitz Vacker relationship drama was always used to cover up whatever other stuff was happening in that band. It must be exhausting faking breakups and makeups that often. Couldn't their management think of something new for them?

Marella nodded. "Yep. That is exactly what happened. And also good for Dex. I always knew they'd stop trying to suck up to the executives at some point"

Maruca pulled out her phone and snorted. "You'll never guess what my cousin just told me"

Maruca's cousin, Wylie, was a guitarist on Black Swan. He and Maruca were still on decent terms, so Exillium got a lot of insider news about Black Swan drama a lot.

Almost too much insider news in Tam's opinion. Black Swan should quit music and start a reality TV show with all that drama.

Maruca scrolled up on her texts and read, "'Our execs saw your guys' success with the whole thing you have going on and are trying to capitalize on it. So they told Dex to come out and are pretending like they don't approve for more attention. Dex, Biana, and I hate it, but Fitz seemed ready to jump on it. And we all know Sophie just won't say no to him so she ended up supporting this too, even though Dex is her cousin'"

Tam's jaw dropped. Black Swan was trying to steal their brand? Again? No fucking way. And forcing Dex out of the closet? What the hell? What pieces of shit.

Marella snorted. "Figures. That group could never come up with anything decent"

"Yeah they definitely went under when Keefe quit," Tam said.

Elwin cleared his throat. "As much as I love listening to this conversation, I have some stuff to do. You all be good and try to get some rest before tomorrow"

They all said their goodbyes to Elwin. Once the door was shut, Jensi screamed. Tam nearly jumped back in surprise.

"Woah Jensi, take a deep breath," Lihn said.

"I WILL NOT TAKE A DEEP BREATH!," Jensi yelled. "Who the hell does Council Records think they are, forcing Dex out like that? Can't they see they're not ready?! Can't they see how fucking uncomfortable it is for Dex to go up there and act like some stupid puppet saying rehearsed answers and shit because THEY WEREN'T PREPARED FOR THIS?!"

Tam jumped off the counter. "You know I've gotta agree with Jensi. Coming out shouldn't be used as a publicity stunt"

Marella nodded. "Yeah when we did it, it was a decision made when the person was comfortable, and we never tried starting drama or making profits from it. Sure us being comfortable with who we are and being ourselves on stage gets us more of an audience, but we never did it for more press"

Lihn rested her head on the table. "I can't believe this. You know, I've always hated Council Records policies but this is a whole new level"

Tam clenched his fists. Council Records might just be the biggest name in the industry. So many amazing musicians signed with them, almost all of them becoming instant hits. But that was often at the cost of the stars themselves, while Council Records reaped much more of the benefits.

Maruca sighed. "It might suck, but we've got our own problems to focus on. We can release our statement on this when we all have clearer heads tomorrow"

Tam opened his mouth to agree, but he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He picked it up and looked.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now! SERIOUSLY?!," he yelled, nearly throwing his phone across the room. Seeing that alert on his phone made him clench his fists and teeth in an effort not to scream or punch something.

Everyone immediately jumped up and crowded around him, trying to get a glance at his phone.

"Black Swan Announces New Initiative to Help LGBT Youth," Marella read.

"SERIOUSLY?!," Stina and Maruca exclaimed.

"I knew it," Marella mumbled.

"After our whole thing now aren't they?," Jensi spat.

Lihn sighed. "Guys, let's look at this objectively. It's good they're announcing some sort of initiative like this. Isn't that what we wanted? For more people to talk about and support the LGBT community and make it normal?"

"Yeah but they forced Dex to come out and now they're acting like they give a fuck about making us gay folks feel comfortable with ourselves," Stina said, hatred in every single syllable of her words. "I'm gonna go punch a pillow or two. Jensi you can come too. Same with Marella. Y'all look like you need to punch something"

So they all left to punch things. Tam wanted to join them. But sadly, he was the one with news alerts on his phone so he had to stay with the people who wanted to news.

Maruca reached over and scrolled down on the article. Tam didn't even mind someone touching his phone for once. He was so mad. First forcing Dex out, then acting like they cared. Such bullshit. But that's how this stupid industry functioned, wasn't it?

"They're using their huge budget to go big," Lihn commented. "That's to be expected"  
"Charity concerts, fundraisers, large donations. We can't compete with this," Maruca said, shaking her head.

Tam turned his phone off. "Yes we can"

"How?," Lihn and Maruca asked.

Tam clenched his fist and looked at the wall. "We do what we always do. We write music about our experiences. Actual good music with real feelings. We donate as much of the proceeds we can. Free music lessons at youth shelters, accepting donations at our concerts. We write songs and play music that's so amazing that we blow everyone out of the water. We make ourselves known, and then go from there"

"Sounds like a pretty good plan to me," Marella said from the doorway.

Jensi smiled. "Team cheer!," he shouted, throwing his hand out in front of him.

Tam, Stina, and Marella rolled their eyes but joined in anyway, sticking their hands in.

"3-2-1 EXILLIUM!," they all shouted. "Let's rock this show!"


	2. Chapter 2

Tam looked in the mirror in their band’s dressing room backstage, trying not to stab his eye out on accident while applying eyeliner.

Maruca was helping Stina put on some makeup, the two of them talking about where they wanted to have their next date. Marella was playing scales on her guitar and humming and Lihn tapped out a beat with her foot while putting her long, silver tipped hair in a ponytail. Jensi threw Exillium signature colorful bead necklaces in front of everyone.

All of them were wearing their normal performance outfits. Tam in a black t shirt and jeans with, you guessed it, black boots. His silver piercings on his ears and lip were the only not black part of his outfit at the moment. Stina in a tank top, leggings, and black Converse with her hair tied in a ponytail. Jensi with a black shirt and jeans, same with Marella. Except Marella's jeans were ripped and she wore a few necklaces as well. Maruca and Lihn both wore black skirts and dark gray shirts, Maruca also wearing blue shoes that matched the color woven into her hair.

The door opened. “Yo Exillium. You’re on in ten,” a voice called.

The band looked up and saw one of Neverseen’s band members, stage name Glimmer, standing in the door. Her black hijab matched with the rest of the black and white ensemble Neverseen always wore. At least she wasn’t like some of the stranger members of Neverseen, who wore masks so no one would know their identities. And true to image, Glimmer’s outfit and makeup glittered everywhere the light hit.

“Thanks Glimmer,” Tam said. “Remember you still need to give me my shoes you borrowed back”

“Yeah you’re never getting those back. Might have lost them”

Tam sighed and shot a glare at Glimmer. “Seriously?”

“I’M SORRY I’LL BUY YOU KNEW ONES, CALM DOWN!”. And Glimmer was gone before Tam could throw something at her.

Tam rolled his eyes. “I should’ve known she’d lose them. And that screaming was not necessary”

Marella rolled her eyes. “You have like two other pairs of basically the same shoes. You’ll live”

Tam shrugged. “I know. I just want my shit back when people borrow it”

“Understandable”

Tam pulled on his black jacket with the purple handprint on the right sleeve. Every member of Exillium had a jacket like that. And if they weren’t wearing the jacket, they wore a different clothing article with the symbol on it.

Maruca, Jensi, and Marella pulled on their jackets as well. Jensi pulled a black armband with the handprint onto their right arm, as did Lihn.

“NECKLACE TIME!,” Jensi yelled.

Everyone laughed, grabbing a beaded necklace and throwing it onto another member of the band, until each person had five strings of beads, each one a different color from a different person in the band.

Tam pulled his hair into a ponytail before heading on stage, careful not to get his hair caught in any of his piercings.

“Team cheer!,” Lihn shouted.

Everyone put their hands in.

“3-2-1 EXILLIUM! LET’S ROCK THIS SHOW!”

~~~

Tam smiled under the bright purple and blue lights, adrenaline rushing through his veins. He would never stop loving this feeling. The feeling of being on stage, with the cheers of the crowd drowned out by his band’s music. The glow of the lights nearly blinding him and leaving the crowds in front of the band just a black shadow. Looking over at his bandmates as they played, smiling and laughing as they did what they loved most. He knew the way he acted on stage did not fit his personality off stage, but who even cared about that?

And then was the part of Exillium that everyone loved most, including Tam. It's part of what made them stand out from others in the industry and made it at least ten times more fun to play in Tam's opinion. And that was that the members of the band switched up instruments all the time. Every couple songs, they’d move around, switch up who was on what. They had a rotation for each night, but most people saw it as every time you see Exillium, you’ll hear a different version of the song.

Tam traded his bass for a guitar. Back to bass again. Then on the drums. Then he was back on guitar again and it was his turn to sing.

He grabbed his acoustic guitar from it’s stand next to where he was playing bass earlier. He was sweating under the bright lights and from all the movement, the rush of the night catching up to him but not quite. Right now, there was no exhaustion, just the fact that he was here, on stage, playing with his bandmates and having the time of his life.

The crowd cheered as Tam walked up to the microphone, and he waved at them, smiling under the silver blue light focused on him. He angled a different mic at his guitar and experimentally strummed it. Good, it worked.

He signaled to the rest of the band that he was going to start with a peace sign behind his back. He gave them about forty seconds, then he started to play.

Of the band members who did sing, Tam sang the least, maybe once or twice every couple concerts. But he loved every time he walked up to the microphone. Maybe the fact he didn't sing as much was just a holdover from the days where he refused to get up there and sing before Lihn forced him.

As he went through the song, Tam heard the others join in on their own instruments. At one point, Marella started singing as well. Tam scanned the crowd, not really looking for anyone, just taking note of the fact that people were there to see their band. Or they’d come to see Neverseen and ended up seeing Exillium too. Either way, it was amazing.

Tam finished, the applause filling his ears. People cheered for different members of their band, for the group as a whole, and generally just made a lot of noise. Under any normal circumstance, Tam would’ve scowled and shoved earbuds in to avoid the noise. But after performing, listening to the people cheer was one of the best feelings ever.

After a couple minutes, Marella spoke. “Make sure to save some enthusiasm for Neverseen! And remember, 85% of the money we make from Exillium merch is going to shelters and programs for LGBT youth. Enjoy the show and goodnight!”

The crowd screamed again and all the members of Exillium bowed before rushing off stage, laughing and high fiving.

Jensi, Stina, and Marella collapsed the second they got backstage.

“That,” Jensi said, panting and rolling onto their back. “Was exhausting. Let’s do it again”

Maruca laughed. “Maybe tomorrow, Jensi”

The group managed to drag themselves to the dressing room before they all collapsed on the couches and chairs inside. Lihn grabbed water bottles from the mini fridge in the corner and tossed one to everyone.

Tam opened his and took a sip.

“Everyone went crazy for Tam singing, as usual,” Maruca said.

“Of course they did,” Lihn said, smiling. “Tam’s the best singer of the group, not just technically. He writes most of the songs too so he knows exactly how he wants them sung”

Tam waved her off. “Don’t start with that. The songs are a whole group thing. Each person brings a different meaning to the words, so it means something different to all of us. Also, we all collaborate on the notes and lyrics and arrangement. It's a group effort. We're a band for a reason”

Stina played with the lid of her water bottle. “Tam after shows scares me sometimes”

Jensi nodded. “He’s way too nice and happy”

Tam frowned and flipped them both off. “I’m going back to ignoring you now if that's what you want”. And with that, he grabbed his phone and opened his notes, quickly typing out some song lyrics and ideas he’d gotten over the last couple hours before putting in his earbuds.

The group used the time that Neverseen took to perform to regain their energy before having to face the crowds outside. Tam was pretty sure that Jensi and Marella both fell asleep.

The door to the dressing room slammed open and Glimmer reentered the room. “Time for you people to go meet the crowds”. She slammed the door back shut behind her.

Tam pulled out his earbuds and then kicked Jensi to wake them up.

“Tam why?,” Jensi grumbled.

“It’s time to see fans, dumbass. Get up”

Jensi stood up, yawning and stretching. “No, I know that. But why’d you kick me? Those boots you’re wearing hurt”

Tam shrugged and walked out of the room, taking the silver blue marker from the person giving them out to the band. Lihn’s was also silver blue, Stina’s dark purple, Maruca’s cobalt, Jensi’s an indigo color, and Marella’s a bright sky blue.

Despite being dead on his feet and just wanting to go back to the apartment and take a nap, Tam put on a smile once the band stepped outside. The rest went by in a flurry, and when they finally got to a car, Tam let out a sigh of relief. He’d reached his limit with people that night.

“Hey uh...y’all got this email too right?,” Maruca asked after a few minutes.

Tam nodded. Jensi and Marella’s phones were both dead so they asked to see. Tam held his phone out so Jensi could look, and Marella shared with Lihn.

“What the hell does Council Records want with us?,” Stina asked. “We already have a manager”

“‘It’s come to our attention that we’re striving for similar things within this industry,’” Lihn read. “‘We wish to offer you a space at Council Records’... the rest of this is just a plug for their studios, and them wanting us to collab with Black Swan”

Maruca slumped down in her seat. “I am way too tired to deal with this right now”

Tam nodded.

“Can send them a nicely worded ‘Fuck you’?,” Stina asked.

“Or not so nice?,” Marella said. “I’m on my last nerve with Council Records”

Jensi raised his hand in agreement.

Lihn sighed. “I wish. But if we did that, it could end in scandal. They probably emailed Elwin too. We can ask him about it tomorrow”

~~~

Tam stared at the ceiling, wondering how they’d ended up in this situation. After coming back to the apartment, all of them took turns showering and wanted to go to sleep, but Elwin called them and had an hour long phone call about how not to deal with Council Records. He also said this was something he couldn’t help with, since Exillium had the right to decide their manager themselves. Almost immediately, everyone was clamoring to say that they definitely did not want to sign with Council Records and that Elwin was the best manager ever. Elwin nearly started crying and told them to go to sleep and that they’d talk in the morning. Or afternoon. Whenever all of them ended up being awake. Tam knew Elwin would probably be in their apartment by noon.

Tam looked over at the clock on the table next to his bed. It was nearing one thirty in the morning. He sighed and flicked a lamp on, grabbing a notebook and humming. He’d go to sleep soon, but he needed to calm his mind down. And what better way to do that then write some music?

Music never failed to calm him down. In high school, when his life had started going to hell, music was Tam's lifeline. Even now when music was his career, just putting on music or writing lyrics or tapping a rhythm on a table still calmed him down and helped him sort himself out.

And then it was three in the morning and Tam still hadn’t gone to sleep. Exhaustion pulled at his mind, threatening to make him just pass out on the floor where he was sitting. The notebook pages seemed blurry and standing seemed impossible, so he just pulled a blanket off the bed and bunched up a sweatshirt to use as a pillow. Hopefully when he woke up, this drama would be smoothed over.

At one in the afternoon, when Tam came stumbling into the apartment kitchen half asleep with his earbuds in and hood pulled up, the drama had not been smoothed over. Papers scattered the table among the coffee mugs and bowls no one bothered to clean up. Jensi and Marella stood at the counter across from the table, arguing over something on Jensi’s sticker covered computer. Both of them were still wearing pajamas, Jensi in an old band t shirt and sweatpants, Marella in shorts and a t shirt Tam was almost a hundred percent sure she took from him the last time they did laundry. On the couch to the left, Maruca and Lihn were scanning papers and talking to someone on the phone, who Tam identified as Elwin. Stina still wasn’t awake or just wasn’t in the room.

Tam shoved past Marella and Jensi on his way to the cabinet to get a mug and poured himself coffee, drinking three quarters of the mug straight black before slamming the mug on the counter.

“What did I miss that has Marella and Jensi awake before three?,” he muttered, probably more angrily than necessary.

Marella and Jensi turned around to look at him, angling the computer so he could see.

The screen was open to an email, which Tam skipped over to look at the sender. He scoffed. Council Records again?

“They’ve been bothering us all morning,” Lihn called from the other room. “We just can’t shut them down”

Marella crossed her arms and blew a piece of blonde hair out of her face. “Maruca says it’s at Sophie’s insistence”

“I don’t just say,” Maruca corrected, walking over from the couch. “I know. Wylie told me”

Jensi threw their phone to Tam, and Tam almost let it fall before realizing he was supposed to catch it. It was way too early for this.

Tam unlocked it and looked at the messages that were open.

“And Sophie’s texting me again. Marella too,” Jensi explained. “Trying to get back on good terms with us”

“Seems sketchy. Don’t like it,” Tam said before throwing the phone back to Jensi.

Jensi barely caught the phone before it hit the floor as well.

“Guys we already barely have enough money. Please stop throwing phones,” Lihn said. She was wearing one of Tam’s old sweatshirts, the hood pulled over her silver tipped hair. What was it with these people and taking his clothes? He was almost the shortest member of the group and none of his stuff fit any of them.

“I could catch it if it wasn’t so early,” Jensi argued.

Maruca rolled her eyes. “Jensi Babblos. It is one pm”

“So? We all just woke up. Which makes it early in the morning”

Lihn sighed and sat down, resting her head on the counter. “I don’t wanna deal with this or do anything. That movie that’s supposed to be Keefe’s Sencen’s comeback hits theaters today. Who wants to go watch?”

Tam wanted to say he didn’t but he had to admit that he didn’t want to work either. He pulled out his phone and went to the theater website. “Next show that I think we’ll make it to is at three”

Maruca nodded. “You buy tickets, I’ll wake up Stina”

Jensi jumped in the air. “YAY MOVIE DAY!”

Someone banged on the wall. “EXILLIUM I KNOW YOU’RE SEMI FAMOUS BUT THAT DOESN’T EXCUSE YOU FROM NOISE COMPLAINTS”

Everyone stared at the wall for a second before laughing. Maybe today wouldn’t monumentally suck after all.


	3. Chapter 3

Keefe sat in the back of the movie theater, praying he wouldn’t see anyone he recognized here. Sure he’d been to the premiere for this movie, but he wanted to watch it with friends back in his hometown.

Not that he still had many friends after leaving Black Swan.

He smacked himself. He was not going down this path right now.

“Pst, Hunkyhair. Is that you?,” a voice whispered.

Keefe nodded. “Yeah, Ro. It’s me”

Ro was one of Keefe’s old friends he knew through his mom’s business. She was insanely tall and strong, with short, choppy brown hair streaked with pink tied in pigtails. Her nails were painted bright purple and she wore a t-shirt promoting the movie they were seeing.

Keefe rolled his eyes. “Ro. You already have merch for this dumb movie”

“Of course I do! My most amazing greatest friend Keefe Sencen is in it!,” Ro exclaimed. Keefe couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic or not.

He still jumped up and shoved a hand over her mouth. “I’m trying to be here without getting recognized!,” he hissed.

Ro easily shoved Keefe back into his chair. “Yeah whatever loser. Did you buy me food?”

Keefe rolled his eyes and threw a bag of candy at Ro. “Eat your sour gummy worms and leave me alone”

Ro threw one of the gummy worms at Keefe’s face. Keefe put some popcorn in her hair. And then they both picked the food up, not wanting to cause too much trouble for the theater staff later.

“No way is that-”

“Woah dude I can’t believe it!”

“It’s Exillium!”

More murmurs similar to that rippled through the crowd and Keefe looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, the members of the band Exillium were walking through the doors. Nearly all of them looked like they’d just gotten out of bed, wearing sweats and yawning as they walked into the theater. Which wasn’t a surprise to Keefe, given that they’d done a show the night before. He knew how exhausting that was.

The band ignored everyone muttering about them and sat in the row in front of Keefe.

“Jensi, move the hell over,” one of them said. She had wavy blonde hair with a few small braids mixed in.

“Shove off Marella. I’m the shortest, don't make me sit behind that tall dude,” a short kid with curly dark brown hair whined.

“Both of you shut the fuck up before I make you sit in the car,” a tall girl with curly light brown hair in a ponytail snapped.

“Stina don’t be so mean,” someone else scolded.

“Fine, Maruca. But just for you”

Wait Keefe recognized those names. Marella, Jensi, Maruca, and Stina. Marella and Jensi were Sophie’s friends before Black Swan and Exillium were even founded. And Maruca was Wylie’s cousin. They’re members of Exillium?

He’d gone to high school with four out of six members of Exillium and he’d had no idea. How?

“Why’re you looking like you’ve just seen a ghost?,” Ro asked, words slightly muffled by the fact she had gummy worms in her mouth.

“It’s nothing. Now shush”

Ro did not shush and Keefe scrolled through his phone as he listened to her talk about these micro bacteria they were growing in her organic chemistry class. How Ro was majoring in Biochemistry and not losing her mind, Keefe had no idea.

“Finally you brought us popcorn,” one of the Exillium members said.

“Oh shut up, Jensi. Next time we go to a theater, you’re paying”

Now that voice, Keefe did not recognize. He looked up and saw a boy and a girl, both of them with black, silver tipped hair and East Asian features. The boy was at least three inches shorter than the girl and had his shoulder length hair in a half up, half down ponytail, these stupid silver tipped bangs somehow still falling in his face. He had a piercing on his lip and three on the ear that Keefe could see.

Ro elbowed Keefe in the shoulder. “You’re staring,” she whispered, slightly louder than necessary.

Keefe pulled the hood of his sweatshirt up and sank further into his seat, blushing.

“Don’t worry, Tam is used to people staring,” the girl with silver tipped hair said, smirking.

Oh. Shit.

Keefe looked up and saw the Exillium members looking at him. Maruca, Stina, Jensi, and Marella were all glaring. They definitely recognized him and were not happy.

“So,” the boy, Tam, said. “You’re Keefe Sencen”

Keefe huffed. “Yeah and?”

Tam shrugged. “Nothing. You’re just less impressive than I expected”

“Excuse me? I bet I’m more impressive than you, Bangs Boy”

“Bangs Boy?”

“Yeah 'cause your shitty bangs”

Tam frowned and flicked his bangs. “They’re not shitty”

“They are,” Keefe, Marella, Jensi, and Stina all said at the same time. Maruca nodded in agreement. The girl standing next to Tam looked like she wanted to laugh.

“I’m not taking hair advice from someone who made his band fall apart”. And with that, Tam put in earbuds and sat down.

The girl who entered with Tam gave Keefe an apologetic smile and then sat down as well, muttering to Tam about how he should maybe be a tad bit less rude.

Keefe looked forward in shock. He definitely was not expecting that to be brought up today.

Luckily, he was saved from thinking too hard about it for the time being when the lights dimmed and the pre movie ads started. And also when Ro smacked the back of his head and told him to stop being mopey.

~~~

After the last scene, Keefe was out of the theater before the credits even started rolling. He didn’t want to hear people talking about his performance or anything. He knew it was good, and usually he’d be content to brag about it and make jokes. But right now, he just wanted to get out.

The comment that Tam made still stung. Because Keefe knew he was the reason Black Swan fell apart. Sure they were coming back into the spotlight, even if it was mostly riding on drama. But Keefe was the reason they’d fallen apart and had to come back in the first place.

But still. What did some rising star annoying little idiot get to say to him about Keefe’s own ex band? What did Tam know about Black Swan or about the pressures of being famous? Probably nothing.

Keefe stepped outside of the movie theater, standing in the cool, fall breeze in an attempt to clear his thoughts. From the back of his mind came the thought that if he hadn’t joined Black Swan or then become an actor, he’d be starting art school this month. Weird.

“Yo, Hunkyhair! Wait for me!,” Ro called, running outside and next to Keefe.

Keefe sighed. “I am waiting Ro. You’re just slow”

“I am not slow. I’ll race you to my car to prove it”

Keefe smirked. “You’re on. What’re you betting?”

Ro thought for a second. “If I win, you dye your hair a color of my choice”

“Deal. And if I win, you have to stop talking about that dumb micro bacteria for two weeks,” Keefe said. He probably shouldn’t have made the hair dye decision so quickly without thinking, but he didn’t care. The bets with Ro were one of the few normal things lately, and he intended to keep them as reckless and insane as before.

The two of them toed the curb.

“3-2-1 GO!,” Keefe shouted, taking off down the parking lot. A car honked at them as Keefe and Ro sprinted across the asphalt without looking either direction. Ro flipped the driver off. The driver rolled down the window and started yelling at them.

Ro ducked behind her car a split second before Keefe got there.

“Ha! I win!,” she shouted.

“No fair!,” Keefe complained. “I had to dodge more cars than you”

Ro stuck her tongue out at him. “You just took the wrong route. And now we’re going to the store to buy you blue hair dye”

Keefe laughed nervously. “My parents are gonna hate this. With them controlling my image and all”

Ro waved him off. “That just makes it more fun”

Keefe smiled wider. “It sure does”

~~~

A few hours later, Keefe and Ro sat playing video games in Keefe’s room. His hair was now a light blue, much lighter than he expected Ro to dye it.

“I can’t have your parents pissed at me for dyeing your hair electric blue. At least the light blue goes with your eyes”

Keefe rolled his eyes. “My parents wouldn’t be pissed at you. They’d be pissed at me, and then say that I was trying to blame you, and then get even more pissed”

“Ha! Take that!,” Keefe yelled, flicking Ro in the head. “That’s the fourth race I’ve beat you in”

Ro shoved Keefe so he fell into the pillow stack he’d made around them. “This is fucking Mario Kart. It’s not even a real video game”

Keefe laughed. “It is a real video game. You’re just mad you lost”

Ro whacked Keefe with a pillow, and Keefe hit her back. Which resulted in an epic pillow war.

“EXCUSE ME,” a voice boomed from the doorway.

Keefe froze, dropping the pillow he was holding and surveying the room. Pillows, video game controllers and cases, food wrappers, and pencils and paper were scattered across the floor. There was a mini speaker playing some of Exillium’s music that Ro turned off within a second of hearing the voice. Not to mention that Keefe’s hair was now blue, and that voice most definitely belonged to his father.

“Keefe, would you like to explain what’s going on here?,” his father said, voice cold and devoid of really any emotion.

Keefe turned around. “I invited Ro over. We’re not doing anything different than normal”

Keefe’s father gestured at his hair. “I meant care to explain that”

Ro jumped up and slung an arm around Keefe’s shoulders. “You see, Cassius my friend-”

“Do not call me Cassius”

“-I forced Keefe here to let me dye his hair”

Cassius’s constant cold, unmoving expression did nothing to stop Keefe’s heart from racing. This was bad. This was really, really bad.

“Did you now?”

“Yep!”

Cassius looked over them further. Keefe tried taking a deep breath, hoping it wouldn’t get caught in his throat. Then another one. He felt Ro’s grip on his shoulder tighten and he shoved her off. He could support himself.

“Ro, I think you’re needed at home,” Cassius said, finally.

Ro shrugged and grabbed her bag, leaving quickly. She shot Keefe a semi concerned look before walking out the door.

Keefe let out a sigh of relief, but that moment was gone the second the door closed and Cassius glared at him. “You’re going to be explaining this hair situation to your mother later”

Keefe glared right back. “Fine”

Cassius looked around the room. “A mess as always”

Keefe grit his teeth. “I’ll clean it later”

Cassius stopped his walk around the room right in front of Keefe. “You better cut this attitude, Keefe. Your mother and I helped you get back on your feet after you left that band of yours. I expect you to treat us with at least a little respect in return”

Keefe snorted. “Yeah no”. He pointed behind him. “The door is that way”

Cassius glared at Keefe another moment before walking towards the door, yanking a drawing off the wall. Keefe winced at the sound of the paper ripping and crumpling and stared at the paper in silence.

“Dad,” he whispered. “That was-”

“I know. You have to stop remembering your band and high school days and focus on your career now”

Then the door slammed shut.

Keefe walked over and unfolded the paper. It was a drawing Keefe had done of him and Fitz before their huge falling out. He had no idea why he still kept it around. Now, the paper was crumpled and ripped in some places, a tear going almost all the way down the middle.

“I suppose that was a sign, huh?,” Keefe whispered, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes. He carefully put the drawing in a drawer where he kept some other photos, drawings, and memories of Black Swan and his old friends. Maybe it was time to never open that drawer again or burn those photos and memories.

He flopped back onto his bed and thought back to the words Tam said earlier that day.

I’m not taking advice from someone who made his band fall apart.

Keefe had made Black Swan fall apart. And he deserved every single guilt filled thought and memory filling his head at that moment. He’d been running from the thought that it was purely his fault for two years now. He’d blamed it on Fitz, then Sophie, then Council Records. He’d gone even further back and blamed Marella and Jensi for quitting during the development stages of the group and got mad at Maruca for leaving Biana. And then after six months of not being in music, his mom had sprung on him that he was going to be an actor now, despite the fact he’d already applied and gotten into art school. During that year and a half of his parents “teaching” him how to act and then producing the movie, he’d barely had time to think about the past.

Keefe almost laughed at the situation. As if his parents had to teach him how to act. If he had to guess, Keefe was so gifted because he’d been acting and tricking his parents and pretending to be happy his whole life. And what kind of excuse was "being busy"? That wasn't enough of an excuse to ignore all the pain he'd caused his former band.

He turned his thoughts to the movie he was in. It hit theaters a week before, but hadn’t come to the town Keefe was from until today. So far, there’d been so many compliments on his acting, wondering how he’d jumped into the industry and became a hit so fast. Some even speculated he’d be up for awards, but that was highly unlikely.

Keefe did not care. He was proud of his performance, but he didn’t like the movie he was in very much. Even though he was eighteen, his parents didn’t let him pick his own project. The movie was called Lost City, and was based on an extremely long book series that, in Keefe’s opinion, could’ve been at least four books shorter. There were already plans to make movies for the other books. And there were like ten total. This was going to become a huge chunk of Keefe’s life he’d never get back.

He could pressure the writers and directors though. They’d been talking about adding new storylines and scrapping some stuff, so maybe Keefe could turn this into something cool that he’d be interested in. He knew his character gained more relevance in the next movie, so this was probably his chance to make being stuck with these movies worth it.

Keefe got up and grabbed a half full sketchbook and started jotting down ideas and rough sketches of the things he thought of. He probably wouldn’t be able to change that much, but if he could push for maybe a couple storylines, then it could be good.

He smirked. Making it big would make his parents happy, but he didn’t necessarily have to make it big on their terms.

~~~

“So then, you know how in book 9, my character doesn’t want to speak because he’s scared he’ll hurt someone? So what if he starts using sign language as a way to-”

“No”

Keefe sat for a second, confused. He’d gotten on a call with the head writer of the movie series, known as Dame Alina in the industry, about a week after he’d written down those ideas in his sketchbook.

“Why not?,” he asked.

He heard Alina sigh. “You’re not a writer, Mr Sencen. You also haven’t been in this industry for long, so you don’t know the repercussions your idea will have”

Keefe grit his teeth. “Repercussions?”

“Less people will come to watch, making sales go down, meaning we’ll make less money and won’t be allowed to make the next movies. If we don’t make a certain amount of money or get a certain amount of good reviews, the film company won’t let us continue to make the movies. And that’s that”

“But if we’re the first, the people will start to-”

“That’s enough, Mr Sencen,” Alina snapped. “I’m very busy. You can take your childish ideas and keep them to yourself. You’re just an actor playing out the script the writers, producers, and directors make for you. Know your place”

That hit Keefe like a smack to the face. Know his place? Just an actor? He wasn’t delusional enough to believe that he was an actor worthy of people stopping and turning their heads and listening to everything he had to say. But he did know he was a semi essential part of this movie. Why wouldn’t they listen to him? Keefe knew a couple things about success and staying in the spotlight from when Black Swan first made it big a couple years ago. And if Exillium rising to the top was any indication, Keefe’s speculations were correct.

“The only way to success is to do what you want and know is right and not give a damn about what anyone else thinks!,” Keefe shouted. “Who the hell cares about the money from this?! We’re already making so much stupid money. As a creator, you’re given the chance to make characters for and give voices to people who are usually on the margins and don’t get a voice, and you won’t even try”

“Mr Sencen!,” Alina snapped again. “This phone call is over. You’re just a child who knows nothing, and we won’t be taking any advice from you. I didn’t even want to agree to this phone call, but Alden forced me to. Goodbye”

Keefe’s fists clenched at the mention of Alden. “I’M EIGHTEEN NOT A CHILD!,” Keefe screamed into the phone before Alina hung up.

Ugh of course Alden was involved. Fitz and Biana’s father and big time movie producer. Keefe knew Alden was one of the minds behind Lost City, but he had no idea exactly what role he played in the production.

Keefe despised Alden with almost every ounce of his being, and he couldn’t usually pin why.

He took a deep breath and opened the window. Maybe the fresh air would clear his head.

Ten minutes later, Keefe’s phone buzzed. He picked it up and saw a notification from his email and clicked to open it, eyes widening when he saw who it was from, anger filling his veins as he read more and more of the stupid message.

Dear Keefe,

We hope this email finds you well. It has come to our attention recently that you’ve started to make a name for yourself in the film industry, as well as start to advocate for the positive change you want to see. If you don’t know, here at Council Records, we are all about advocating for those less privileged than we are and speaking up for what we believe in in order to change the industry and the world for the better. We were wondering if you would like to form a new partnership with Black Swan to help both parties spread their message and further solidify their place in this harsh entertainment industry.

The email went on to explain the details of such an agreement. Keefe wanted to scream. He wanted to punch something or throw this phone out the window or just something.

It got even worse when he saw the sender.

Fucking Fitz. Always meddling in Keefe’s business and screwing stuff up. And now here he was, pretending like he cared and trying to get Keefe to join their fake gay rights campaign. He knew what Black Swan was doing right now. Anyone with three brain cells and a little time could figure it out. Keefe was not going to support this.

He didn’t even try to be nice in the reply. He just typed out “Dear Fitz, No. And your offer and 'advocacy' sucks. Fuck you, respectfully, Keefe Sencen”

He was going to regret this later, but he didn’t care.

Keefe thought about what would piss off Black Swan the most after this. He’d seen all the recent headlines, and came up with an idea.

An idea that he was also probably going to regret later.

Exillium and Black Swan were trying for the same thing, but Exillium was doing it better. The two bands were rivals in almost every sense, and Keefe knew it’d annoy all of Black Swan and his parents if he started associating himself with Exillium.

So Keefe opened Instagram and went to the search bar, debating what member of Exillium he should message about this. Maybe he’d be better off talking to their manager, but Keefe was going entirely on impulse, and impulse said to direct message one of the band members instead.

He scanned through the options in his head. Marella, Jensi, Maruca, and Stina were probably all out given that they still probably hated him and would delete his message immediately. So that left one of those twins. And he didn’t know the girl’s name, so that left Tam.

Keefe groaned. Of course it ended up being Tam. Still, he found Tam’s Instagram and pressed the “message” button.

He took a deep breath.

“Hey Bangs Boy. Do you and your band wanna help me piss off Black Swan?”

Yeah he was definitely going to regret this later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey it's finally starting to get interesting! I'm super excited for how the rest of the story plays out, and I hope you are too!


	4. Chapter 4

Tam walked into the kitchen to get dinner only to see a giant whiteboard had taken over the living room.

“Uh...what’s going on?,” he asked.

Lihn looked up from where she was sitting on the couch. “It’s so we can plan our album and timeline before the release”

“Can’t Elwin do the time planning?,” Jensi grumbled, stumbling into the kitchen. “I’m still tired”

“He said he trusts us to plan the timeline,” Maruca said.

“That was a horrible decision on his part. We can barely plan a single day without everything falling apart”

Tam rolled his eyes. “Well, it’s September right now. We’ve barely started on anything for the actual album, so does maybe like June seem like a good release date?”

Lihn threw Tam a marker and he walked over to the board and wrote “Album Release Date: June 2022” at the top of the whiteboard and underlined it twice. Everyone nodded.

“As for the timeline, maybe start leaking the news we’re working on something at our next interview?,” Maruca suggested.

Lihn checked something on her phone. “The next interview is the week after we stop opening for Neverseen, so that sounds good”

Tam noted that on the whiteboard. “October 1st, 2021. Interview to start dropping hints,” he muttered as he wrote.

The group stared at the board for about three minutes.

“Aaaaand I think that’s all we’re gonna get right now. We’ll add more as we get more interviews and a better idea of how things are taking shape,” Lihn finally said.

Tam continued to think about it and then started writing more things on the board.

“If we want the album released in June, we’ll have to start recording in May at least, if not April. Which means we have to have all the songs we want in it complete by March 31st, and if we’re putting ten songs in this album, we really have gotta start working,” he muttered. “So that leaves the rest of September through November to workshop ideas, December through February to write, and March to make sure everything’s finalized. Of course, we’ll probably still be performing in some events and concerts, and Elwin says he wants us releasing some singles. So maybe a single each month before March so people will have new stuff from us?”

He outlined all of this on the whiteboard and turned around. He saw everyone staring at him.

“Wow,” Marella said.

“That...that is a very busy schedule,” Jensi said. He pumped his fist. “I’m hyped!”

Stina nodded. “Me too!”

Tam smiled. They’d barely get a free moment over the next year, with all this writing and recording and performances, not to mention they'd probably end up going on some sort of tour once the album dropped. But it was going to be a ton of fun.

“Hey Lihn. Does this whiteboard have another side?”

~~~

Three hours later, a list of song concepts and an order for the album was written on the other side of the whiteboard. All six members of Exillium sat in the living room. Marella and Jensi sat on the floor with their guitars, scribbling down potential chord progressions. Stina sat at the kitchen table, tapping her drumsticks against the table and humming random song ideas, occasionally jotting down some ideas on a sheet of paper. Lihn scribbled in lyrics in a notebook and Maruca worked on some stuff at the keyboard they kept in the corner. The sounds of talking and different instruments filled the air, and Tam, for once, didn't mind the noise.

All of them gathered in the same room, bouncing ideas off each other and playing random chord progressions and drinking way too many caffeinated beverages. Sometimes they paused and watched an episode or two (or seven) of a tv show (or three) or randomly decided to sing songs from the radio or watch movies or just do anything instead of doing what they were supposed to. Tam never really had friends before, but now Exillium was basically his family. He didn't want this life to change.

Tam’s phone buzzed and he finished writing out the lines he was working on before checking it.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?,” he said.

Lihn peeked over his shoulder. “What does Keefe Sencen want?”

“Do you think I know? I despise the guy"

Stina, Maruca, Jensi, and Marella all came over as well.

“Show us the texts, Song,” Stina said, holding her hand out.

Tam sighed. “It’s one DM, Stina”. He clicked on the notification and unlocked his phone. Everyone crowded around him.

“What the fuck,” Stina said. “Just what the fuck”

“Delete it,” Marella and Jensi said at the same time.

“Ask him for more information,” Maruca suggested.

“Don’t tell Wylie anything if we’re taking down Black Swan,” Stina said.

“I know that Stina. I’m not stupid”

Tam typed out a message.

Today, 7:37 pm

Keefe: hey Bangs Boy. do you and your band wanna help me piss off Black Swan?

Tam: why

Keefe: because we both hate them

Tam scowled. “Why’s he asking us? There’s plenty of people who don’t like Black Swan”

Lihn shrugged. “Just ask him to elaborate. Also the others left since they don’t wanna deal with this”

“They left fast”

“They really hate Keefe, apparently”

Tam: context? care to elaborate?

A minute passed. Then:

Keefe: attachment: 1 image

Tam opened it and scanned the email screenshot Keefe sent him. Lihn read it over his shoulder.

“Holy shit,” she swore. “What even is that? It’s horrible”

Tam snorted. “I have no idea, but is it enough of a grounds to get into a public battle with Black Swan?”

Tam and Lihn looked at each other. Tam knew the rest of the band had personal history with Keefe, and not necessarily the good kind. But what Black Swan was doing wasn’t right, and teaming up with Keefe Sencen, no matter how much of an annoying brat he was, could be helpful. He had access to resources that Exillium didn’t have on their own. Not to mention he might have some better insight into what Black Swan was doing.

Tam sighed. He was going to regret this.

Tam: fine. we’re in, loser

Keefe: sweet! We’ll meet at my place to discuss.

link: google maps

Tam blinked. “He just straight up gave us directions to his house without even thinking about it. What a dumbass”

Lihn sighed. “I’ll tell everyone about this. I have a feeling it’s not gonna end well”

~~~

Lihn, surprisingly, wasn’t right. It actually ended fine.

“We can deal with Keefe if it means we’re finally getting our payback against those losers,” Marella said.

So here they were, at Keefe Sencen’s house, almost forty five minutes away from the part of the city where Exillium lived.

Stina whistled. “Fancy place”

Jensi stared at the house, wide eyed. “I have never been to a house this big in my life”  
Tam crossed his arms. “I just wanna know why he made us come all the way to forty five minutes outside the city. Doesn’t he know we live in the city and that coming here would be a huge hassle?”

“Who even cares?,” Marella said, walking up to the door. “I just wanna see if this place is still as nice as the last time I was here.” She rung the doorbell a few times. And then Jensi rung it too. And then Stina. Then Lihn. Then Maruca. And then Tam hit it three times.

Someone still didn’t come to open the door.

“We rang the bell nine times and there’s cars in the driveway. Why is no one answering the door?,” Tam grumbled. He pulled out his phone and opened his DMs.

Today, 8:35 pm

Tam: loser we’re fucking here did you not hear the doorbell ring like a hundred times

Then someone, most likely Keefe, came running down the stairs and the door opened.

Keefe waved. “Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to answer the door. I had headphones on and couldn’t hear”

Tam’s first thought was wondering why the hell Keefe had blue hair. It didn’t look that bad, but it was strange. However, the rest of him looked horrible. His smile seemed a little forced and there were bags under his eyes. Along with being blue now, his hair sticking up in several places like he didn't put any effort into it. Tam wondered what the hell happened to him.

Keefe was met with several glares and one wave.

Tam rolled his eyes. “How loud are you playing your music where you can’t hear the doorbell?”

Keefe crossed his arms. “Not that loud. My room is also on the third floor so it was hard to hear”

Yeah there's no way Keefe was listening to music.

“Why’s your hair blue?,” Jensi asked. They looked more uninterested than anything.

“I felt like it. But that doesn’t matter. Come in”

Tam had a feeling that it wasn't because Keefe felt like it. But it was funny so he wasn't going to say anything.

The group stepped into the house and was met with an entryway at least three quarters of the size of Exillium’s whole apartment. A nice light fixture hung from the high ceiling. The stairs were slightly off from the door, and a mini room with a piano and some guitars was to the left. To the right was some sort of sitting area, same with just beyond the stairs.

“Fancy,” Jensi muttered.

Marella simply ignored everything, kicked her shoes off, and went running up the stairs. “Wait until y’all see Keefe’s room,” she laughed. “There’s a lot of make fun of there”

That sent the band, minus Tam and Lihn, running up the stairs at top speed.

Keefe sighed. “Really Marella?”. He turned to face Tam and Lihn. “So. How’re you guys?”

“Horrible”

Lihn shrugged. “Decent. And is that a t-shirt for our band?”

It was in fact, an Exillium t-shirt. The signature white electric looking writing ran across the front, and Tam saw the purple handprint on the sleeve. So Keefe was a fan of theirs. Interesting.

Keefe looked down at his shirt and laughed nervously. “Yeah I guess. It wasn’t on purpose”

Tam rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I wanna go see what’s worth making fun of in your room”

He ran up the stairs without taking his shoes off.

Keefe’s room was not as worth making fun of as Tam expected. Sure there was a TV and a couple bookcases and a nice desk with a fancy computer on it, but nothing worth making fun of. It just proved Keefe or his family had money.

Tam heard laughing come from off to the right, where a door led off to what he guessed was the bathroom.

“Tam it looks like this guy spends a shit ton of time on his hair and he just dyed it blue randomly! This is the funniest thing ever,” Jensi laughed, peeking out from inside the bathroom. "How much you wanna bet he was having some sort of crisis yesterday and just gave up?"

"Five dollars!," Stina yelled.

"I bet 10!," Marella called.

"One," Maruca said.

“All of you lose your money because I lost a bet and had to dye it,” Keefe said. “God why did I let people who hate me into my house? All of you know I would never mess up my hair, even during a breakdown"

Tam snorted. Why did Keefe agree to a bet that would change his appearance like that? Whoever his manager or agent was wasn't gonna be happy.

Marella flicked Keefe on the forehead. “Thanks for making me lose ten dollars. And we don’t hate you as much anymore. You were just as caught up in that argument as we were”

Jensi nodded. “We’re mildly pissed, but not anything too bad”

“And no, you don’t get an apology from us, and you don’t have to apologize. We’ll just take down Black Swan and call it even,” Stina added.

Tam wondered for the millionth time what exactly went down between these groups. Also why was everyone trusting Keefe again so soon? In Tam’s opinion, Keefe didn’t feel right. The way he talked and acted felt forced, like Keefe wasn't telling the whole truth. He didn’t trust it. If anything, everyone else should’ve been more hesitant to trust Keefe than Tam was, given their history.

Tam wasn't trusting Keefe until he learned more about him. And Tam had a feeling that was going to be harder than expected.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for choosing this fic! I promise it gets more exciting. Stuff just has to get introduced first.


End file.
